The First Vice President of the Southern African Catholic Bishops Conference (SACBC) has called on the Bishops of Botswana, Eswatini, and South Africa to “keep the shining example of Mary ever in mind and to respond to God’s call as she did.”

In his homily at the closing mass of the SACBC Ad Limina visit, Archbishop Dabula Anthony Mpako said, “As we end this visit and return to our respective local churches, we entrust ourselves to the motherhood of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Our prayer is that she may continue to be our protector and a guiding light for us, the shining star we follow as we carry out our ministry of shepherding the people of God.”

Reflecting on the Memorial of the Immaculate Heart of Mary observed by the Catholic Church on the Saturday after the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ (Corpus Christi), Archbishop Mpako said that “with this celebration of the memorial of the Immaculate Heart of Mary we have put before us for our contemplation the image of the Blessed Virgin Mary.”

“We are thereby invited to keep the shining example of Mary ever in mind and to respond to God’s call as she did. Mary shows us how to respond to God’s call by, first and foremost, listening to the words the Holy Spirit speaks to us in the depths of our hearts,” he added.

The Metropolitan Archbishop of Pretoria went on to reflect on the day’s reading (2 Corinthians 5:14-21) which highlights the ministry of reconciliation. He said, “St Paul reminds us that our most fundamental calling as Bishops and ordained ministers in the Church is that of being ambassadors for Christ. This means to stand in for Christ and to allow the mission of Christ to be carried out in and through us.”

He reminded the bishops that “at the centre of that mission is God’s work of reconciling the world to himself.”

“Another very important aspect of this work is that of facilitating reconciliation, communion, and unity among the faithful entrusted to our pastoral care and to lead the church communities entrusted to our pastoral care in being agents of reconciliation and unity in the societies in which we live,” said Archbishop Mpako during the Saturday, June 17 mass celebrated at the Basilica of St Mary Major.

He added, “Being ambassadors for Christ begins by pondering the word of God” in one’s heart. In other words, it begins by us allowing ourselves to be transformed in the depths of our hearts. It begins by us opening up a space in our hearts for the Holy Spirit to dwell in us and take possession of us so that we become instruments and agents of the Holy Spirit.”

The First Vice President of the SACBC further said that in the midst of a tight, and often “punishing schedule to follow,” the memorial of the Immaculate Heart of Mary is a reminder and an invitation “to ponder the word of God in our hearts; to listen deeply to the promptings of the Holy Spirit in the depths of our being, and to ever remain anchored in God as we go about our daily responsibilities.”

In his concluding remarks during the eucharistic celebration that saw the participation of religious and laity from the Southern African region, Archbishop Mpako asked the “Virgin Mary, Mother of God and Mother of the Church to continue to intercede for all of us, shepherds and the flock, that we may be given a heart like hers that is always ready to listen, to ponder, and to allow God’s will to be carried out in and through us.”

And may the Virgin Mary, Mother of God and Mother of the Church, continue to intercede for all of us, shepherds and the flock, that we may be given a heart like hers that is always ready to listen, to ponder, and to allow God’s will to be carried out in and through us.